Miscellaneous Blogs
Women to Inspire You: Breaking down barriers and doing what they love
In celebration of International Women’s Day!
There’s nothing more inspiring than someone following their passion – especially when they have had to overcome societal norms, adversity and discrimination to do so. That’s why this International Women’s Day, we are celebrating eight PADI Women who stand out and inspire us daily. They have overcome many obstacles to turn their passion into a life mission to save the ocean – the planet’s largest and most important ecosystem that desperately needs their help. What’s more, through their bold choices and by living through example, they are encouraging others to do the same.
1. Using Science to Save Sharks: Gador Muntaner
Image credit: Rafael Fernandez
Originally from Spain, Gádor put on a mask, fins, and snorkel for the first time in Mallorca Island when she was 3 years old. When she turned 16, she got her open water diver certification and that’s when she knew that she would dedicate her life to the ocean. At 22 she achieved her PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor certification in order to be able to share with everybody what she loves the most: the feeling of diving.
In 2016 she moved to La Paz, Mexico to turn her passion into her work: the study and conservation of sharks. She did her undergraduate thesis studying sharks, as she had always dreamed, becoming a student of Pelagios Kakunjá Marine Conservation. Her research project focused on the movement patterns of the silvertip shark (Carcharhinus albimarginatus) in the Revillagigedo Archipelago.
Currently, she is pursuing her master’s degree studying contamination in Great White sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) tissues in Isla Guadalupe, Mexico. This love for sharks has led Gádor to travel the world–most recently running a scientific study in Spain on the positive impact sustainable shark tourism can have on the ocean.
Follow her mission to save sharks on Instagram: @gadormunta
2. Building a New Generation of Ocean Guardians: Zandile Ndhlovu
Image credit: Jacki Bruniquei
Zandile Ndhlovu is the first Black African Freediving Instructor in South Africa and the founder of The Black Mermaid Foundation, an organisation seeking to improve diversity in marine conservation and sports. Zandile’s inspiring work centres around creating the magical first encounter that exposes youth – most of whom would never have the opportunity – to experience the ocean. As an ocean conservationist, diversity and inclusion specialist, and avid speaker and storyteller, she uses these skills to advocate for a blue planet in which the ocean is accessible – and protected – by all, regardless of race, gender and religion.
Zandile is a change agent, passionate about human potential being the critical currency that creates the worlds we want to live in while focusing on the collective ability to bring change. She’s leading that change one young person at a time in South Africa – and around the world.
Follow her journey to creating more diversity in the ocean on Instagram: @zandithemermaid
3 + 4. Giving the Ocean a Voice: Mermaid Elle and Brandee Anthony
Image credit: Brandee Anthony
Brandee Anthony is a professional mermaid, photographer and PADI Mermaid instructor based out of Vero Beach, Florida. She started her dive company, Mermaid Freedive, in 2019 and offers guests the opportunity to become PADI Freedive and Mermaid certified in an all-inclusive retreat format. Brandee has over 1.7 million online followers where she shares her love for the water and creating content that brings happiness to her viewers through photography and videography.
Follow her mission to help others connect with themselves and the water on Instagram: @brandee_anthony
Image credit: @themermaidelle
Mermaid Elle is the most popular mermaid on TikTok and makes a full-time living splashing her tail as a PADI Mermaid Instructor. She takes great pride in growing teaching more mermaids, saying “becoming a mermaid is really just being yourself in your most powerful form. We call ourselves mer-sisters and mer-brothers because mermaids are one species, one family, one school of fish!” She’s already underway training up other mermaids as an official PADI Mermaid Instructor and is making a full-time living as a professional mermaid.
Elle believes that it is the mer-persons role to speak for an ocean – and its creatures – that can’t speak for itself. She’s a real-life Ariel using her skills to drive more focus upon marine conservation.
Follow her mission to inspire others to live their best mermaid life on TikTok: @themermaidelle
5. Creating More Youth Conservationists: Julia Aveline Rabenjoro
Julia is one of the youngest, and most “decorated” PADI diver with several certifications under her dive belt. Julia started her diving journey with PADI on her 8th birthday in Sabah, Borneo. Julia went on to obtain her Junior Open Water when she was 10 and her Junior Advanced when she was 12. Julia is now 14 and has just taken her Junior Rescue Diver course. Julia also started freediving at the end of last year and she is now a certified PADI Basic Freediver. Diving has helped Julia to find her passion in conserving the ocean, which caused her to create the Seed of Hope Facebook page to raise awareness and funds for ocean causes, while inspiring other young ocean advocates to do the same.
Follow her mission to plant seeds of hope in communities on Facebook: @JuliaIntoTheBlue
6. Making The Ocean Accessible to All: Cody Unser
Image credit: Cody Unser
Cody Unser, a daughter of Indy 500 racing greats, founded The Cody Unser First Step Foundation at the age of 13 to raise awareness, medical collaboration and quality of life for Transverse Myelitis, the autoimmune condition that left her suddenly paralyzed as a teen in 1999. Her foundation’s focus on mainstreaming adaptive scuba for over a decade and its potential as a therapeutic tool in exercise science is creating a buzz in the medical and dive industries. Regardless of the injury or condition, Cody advocates for others to become adaptive divers as well. Through her foundation, she established Cody’s Great Scuba Adventure, which uses scuba diving as a therapeutic and psychological tool for people living with different forms of paralysis. Her documentary, “Sea of Change,” explored the neurological and psychological effects of scuba on a group of chosen paralyzed veterans.
She has become a leading advocate for people living with disabilities and spends much of her time traveling across the country to deliver keynote speeches, attend medical symposia and help other grassroots organisations that have similar missions.
Learn more about how Cody is breaking down barriers on PADI’s Podcast: Dive Stories.
7 + 8. Showing the World How Amazing the Ocean is: Elise Gibbins and Mia Stawinski
Image credit: Elise Gibbins
Mia and Elise are award winning underwater and topside filmmakers and photographers. Elise is a PADI Divemaster who harnesses her cinematography skills to drive awareness and has collaborated with NGO’s and commercial enterprises who are motivated to drive positive environmental change. Elise produces world class content campaigns that connect audiences to nature’s significance and humanity’s relationship with it, with a passion for highlighting endangered ecosystems.
Image credit: Mia Stawinski
They have teamed up to combine their passion and love for the underwater world with their background in underwater cinematography and photography. Their goal is to highlight the beauty of the world’s magnificent marine life and landscapes while encouraging divers of all genders to explore and protect the ocean.
Follow their award winning content on Instagram: @wandervicariously and @elisegibbins
If you ever wondered what’s the exciting buzz around the RAID Diver Agency, we can tell you right here!
The prestigious Royal Thai Marine Police have chosen RAID as their trusted agency for their Underwater Operations Course.
This intense and rigorous course is designed to equip the force with the specialized skills and expertise needed for all underwater operations, ensuring they are totally prepared for the challenges of their critical missions.
With RAID‘s comprehensive training, the Royal Thai Marine Police will be well-prepared to handle the demands of their underwater tasks.
Why RAID? Truly Different?
The RAID philosophy is we are divers, not Recreational or Technical, just divers.
We all start with our first breath underwater with limited knowledge and experience. How much theoretical knowledge individuals may want is a personal choice.
However, when it comes to practical experience, there should be no difference to the required skill foundation and learning the fundamentals of diving is crucial.
With the roots of RAID International being founded in a technical background, the ethos is to provide all divers with solid fundamental skills of diving buoyancy, hover & trim which provide a robust platform for any future training in whatever direction they decides interests them.
How do RAID do that?
RAID conduct all dive skill training how you would use it practically. Perfect buoyancy with good hover and trim position.
Other agencies teach you to sit on the bottom and do skills! Do you go to the bottom every time you want to clear your mask?
Dive training in a class of its own.
RAID FREe-Learning.
No smoke and mirrors with RAID, there is nothing to hide.
Everyone can access any and all of RAID course theory and skills manuals online and downloadable without any charge or commitment.
Truly FREe-Learning
You bet that wasn’t popular with the book selling agencies!
If that wasn’t enough, additionally, all the skills videos, are available on YouTube with FREE access.
The core of RAID‘s ethos is to provide all divers with solid fundamental skills of diving buoyancy with perfect hover & trim providing a robust platform for any future training.
To enable that, RAID Professionals must have skills honed to the highest level, always performed with consummate ease and completely naturally.
To access the whole FREe-Learning library completely without any commitment or cost, simply register with RAID by scanning the QR code.
No one will contact you, you are free to download and peruse whatever you want to.
Should you decide you would like to know more or would like to take a course contact James at RAID UK and he will direct you to your local RAID centre.
RAID UK
James Rogers
www.diveraiduk.com
info@diveraiduk.com
+44 191 4324644
RAID – A Global Agency
RAID has Regional Offices around the world all fully embedded in the governing bodies of diver training.
WRSTC Member USA, ERSTC Member EU, Worldwide ISO Certified, RTC founding member.
RAID Dive Centres are in all corners of the UK!
All ready to offer divers and beginners a friendly welcoming new standard of service. Whether you are ready to take your first breath or an experienced exploration diver, make visiting a RAID Dive Centre your next step.
Here are just a few suggestions.
Bay Divers
Swansea
www.baydivers.co.uk
+44-7859-018970
West Coast Diving
Kilmarnock
www.westcoastdiving.co.uk
+44-7904-539512
SevernTec Diving
Dive South
RAID – Holiday Destinations
Looking to take a dive trip with your club or personally, here are just a few popular RAID dive holiday destination ideas for the UK based diver.
Egypt
Maldives
Bali
Thailand
South Africa
Click to contact the Regional Office for a full list of dive destinations in that region.
EGYPT
Pharaoh Dive Club
Roots Red Sea, El Quseir, Egypt
info@pharaohdiveclub.com
www.pharaohdiveclub.com
+20 10068 22000
Multi award winning centre offering special ‘Dive & Stay’ packages
Scuba Dreamer Diving College
Park Regency, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
www.scubadreamer.it
info@scubadreamer.it
+20 122 7150550
Based at Park Regency & Beach Promenade providing a full 5* package
MALDIVES
Fehivina Dhangethi &
Dhodhi – Dhiffushi – North Male’ Atoll
www.scubadivinemaldives.com
scubadivinedhangethi@gmail.com
scubadivinedhiffushi@gmail.com
+96 07913075
Range of accommodation options available
Jerrys Dive Club
Rasdhoo, Maldives
www.jerrysdiveclub.com
hello@jerrysdiveclub.com
+960 772 7876
Stay at Jerry’s Guest House
BALI
Prana Dive
Kabupaten Karaangasem, Bali, Indonesia
www.pranadive.com
info@pranadive.com
+62 813 3877 5345
Why not stay with us at Teratai Boutique Resort
THAILAND
SOUTH AFRICA
Adventure Mania
Sodwana Bay, South Africa
www.adventuremania.co.za
info@adventuremania.co.za
+27 82 653 7824
Adventure Mania takes pride in providing personalised, eco-conscious dives that highlight the beauty of protected coral reefs and marine life. This family diving business, nestled within a Marine Protected Area, offers a diving experience that is as educational as it is exhilarating.
Adventure Mania’s expert instructors and staff have a deep-rooted passion for ocean conservation. They not only guide divers through breathtaking underwater landscapes but emphasise the importance of marine preservation. Teaching diving with Adventure Mania goes beyond imparting technical skills; it embraces fostering a respect for the ocean.
ScubaCo
Durban, South Africa
www.scubaco.co.za
info@scubaco.co.za
+27 79 779 4242
ScubaCo is a boutique RAID Dive Centre operating on the Kwa-Zulu Natal coastline of South Africa. ScubaCo are specialists in both shark and reef diving as well as featuring the annual Sardine Run migration as they are so well positioned to offer the best of the best.
Many clients enjoy our wonderful packages with ScubaCo Guest House accommodation coupled to amazing dive options – Shark Diving, Big 5 Safari & Diving the Sardine Run.
This destination is a must for every Diver and should be on your bucket list for dive travel.
Make sure to add Aliwal Shoal to your next Diving holiday and let Tamara and her team take fantastic care of you while in South Africa.
Dive & Travel the RAID way
When you see the RAID emblem at a dive centre around the world you can be assured that the highest standards of diver training are being provided, knowing all RAID professionals have met the testing criteria to achieve their professional rank.
Gemma and Ian chat to Dawn Kernagis. Dawn joined DEEP in 2023 as the Director of Scientific Research. DEEP is an ocean technology and exploration company with a mission to ‘Make Humans Aquatic.’ DEEP’s undersea habitat and submersible systems, combined with multi-phased diver and human performance training, will create the next evolution of subsea science, research, and exploration capabilities. Dawn is a NASA-trained NEEMO Aquanaut, Explorer’s Club Fellow and Women Divers Hall of Fame Inductee and who is also tasked to establish DEEP’s first US presence in North Carolina. Dawn has also been a diver with numerous underwater exploration, research, and conservation projects since 1993, including the mapping and record-setting exploration of some of the deepest underwater caves in the world.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawn-kernagis-995383152/
The BiG Scuba Podcast is brought to you by Narked at 90. “Beyond Technical” Narked at 90 If you are thinking of moving across to tech diving or completely new to diving, Narked at 90 can advise and guide on the best equipment and set up for your personal or commercial requirements https://www.narkedat90.com/. There is currently a code for you to use for purchases and the code is BIGSCUBA2024.
If you are interested in the INSTA360 action camera we discussed then please click this link: https://www.insta360.com/sal/x3?utm_term=INRAI8S
We hope you have enjoyed this episode of The BiG Scuba Podcast. Please give us ★★★★★, leave a review, and tell your friends. Contact Gemma and Ian with your messages, ideas and feedback via The BiG Scuba Bat Phone +44 7810 005924 or use our social media platforms. To keep up to date with the latest news, follow us:
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